Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Food Stamp Challenge

Thank you for your interest in our virtual fund raiser. Use this blog page, and chect it frequently to stay current with what is going on with the event participants. We encourage you to actively comment on your experience as you go through this challenge. We think the experience will do three things: First, gives you first hand experience with what it is like trying to feed yourself for about $4 a day; Second, it allows you to be part of the solution in helping out the less fortunate; Third, you raise awareness about hunger and malnutrition in the community; and Fourth, you raise some money to help the Food Bank in its mission to alleviate hunger and malnutrition. Thank you for participating and for your generous and charitable involvement. To read or post comments, click here.~ José Martinez, Food Bank Executive Director.

43 comments:

I had a bit of trepidation in getting involved with the Food Stamp Challenge. I guess it wasn't so much the idea of the budget, as it was in knowing that I was going to be limited in this way, when I'm not really used to having this kind of limitation. I was wondering how this would affect everyone in the house, especially the kids, because they might not understand the reasons for this and what's to be gained by doing this. I think that when they start to understand how many people actually are REALLY restricted by this kind of financial constraint, that it might make them think a bit more before taking things for granted all the time. That's my hope, anyway. I know this much....... we'll see.

Guess who won't get to eat anything at his own State of the City address banquet tomorrow!??! But it will only be day one, so hopefully I won't collapse on stage from a lack of energy.

It is definitely possible to get enough calories to survive on $4/day by eating lots of sugar and saturated fats. The real challenge is eating a good balance of macronutrients (not just simple carbs and nasty fats, but protein and good fats, too) and micronutrients/vitamins/minerals. You can't get there by eating dollar meals at the fast-food drive-thru.

Total caloric intake becomes an issue because (1) healthier foods are mostly not very energy-dense, (2) those of us who are very physically active need a lot more calories than the average USDA-approved diet, and (3) you shouldn't be losing weight while doing this challenge. The latter should be an obvious guideline, since if you were actually depending on a food-stamp budget for more than a few weeks, constant weight-loss is not a sustainable lifestyle.

So here's my basic strategy going into this. First, I'm going to try to do all of the shopping on one day and at just one store: the West Sacramento Grocery Outlet. The store is locally owned and operated, and offers pretty consistent deals. The fresh fruits and vegetables section doesn't match the city's other grocery stores, but I not going to able to afford a cornucopia anyway (we don't have a real farmer's market or CSA drop-offs in West Sac yet). I know the WalMart Supercenter also has low prices, but I'd like to keep as much of the profits here locally.

Second, I'm going for just nine items: milk, broccoli, frozen chicken, oatmeal, bananas, eggs, cheddar cheese, peanut bars or butter, and canned tuna. I can produce a very healthy diet with those items, though I definitely won't break the 2,000-calorie/day mark. But that wipes out virtually all insulin-spiking simple carbohydrates, while ensuring a good balance of protein, slow-burning carbs, and healthy fats. Which is good, because I don't like to eat tofu or cook pinto beans, the staples of the Yamada-Rexroad challenge last Fall.

We'll see later today whether I can actually get all nine items for no more than $20.

Grocery Outlet run was a success. Bought what I had planned, except substituted 10 apples for 6 bananas and didn't have enough to buy cheese. I was fortunate that the store employees didn't have me escorted out for loitering, as I must have stared at the aisle for hours in frustrated disbelief that I couldn't afford cheese.

A typical day during the week will look like this:

Meal 1: Cup of oatmeal, milk, and an apple.Meal 2: Two eggs and two tablespoons of peanut butter.Meal 3: Tuna (plus cheese if I can find it for $1.10) and an apple.Meal 4: Chicken breast and broccoli.Meal 5: Milk and two tablespoons of peanut butter.

That's about 2,000 calories, and includes pretty decent amounts of protein, fiber, and essential fats.

Saturday, April 18thIt was weird, but all day I kept thinking about how I had to really eat up this weekend because as of Monday I was on the Food Stamp Challenge.Sunday, April 19thI emailed some friends and I caught myself telling them that I was going to eat my last real meal on Sunday, because of the Food Stamp Challenge. I typically don't think about food or meals that way. I eat when I'm hungry and snack throughout the day (of course, if the opportunity presents itself, I can also pig out, but I don't think about it I just do it. Now I find myself thinking about pigging out because I feel I won't be able to eat a decent meal for a week).Sunday, April 19thMy wife won't be on the challenge with me so I have to actually go out and shop for myself for the next 5 days. Ordinarily, I am bad about pricing food when I shop for food. Now, there I was looking at prices, comparing prices, and calculating in my head each item that I could get. Who ever said poor people don't know how to budget has never been poor. Try budgeting all your meals on a limited budget!

This morning I had a bowl of oatmeal (I purchased bulk at the food co-op, cheaper and I can buy only what I need for the week). I ate it dry. Typically I eat with soy milk, but that is too expensive, but I can do dry for a week). Yesterday I cooked some pinto beans yesterday, enough for the week. I brought some for lunch today. I was going to have them for dinner, but now I have to figure out dinner later. All this talk about food, I'm getting hungry, of course, I haven't had any snacks this morning.

As I did during our previous Food Stamp Challenge, I gave up coffee for the week as it did not fit into my budget. If we had additional time (that is, a budget for 7 days) I believe I could have purchased a half-pound of coffee and still stayed within the $4 per day budget.

Matt gave up Diet Pepsi last time and stayed off. I will give up coffee this time, but can already imagine my fingers wrapped around a strong cuppa joe on Saturday morning coming up. We'll need it since we'll be at the California Democratic Party State Convention by then!

So far, I have had a banana, a yogurt, and some Cheerios (as a "parfait") today. I did get a drink of water from the fountain outside my office door here at the Capitol today, and so far, am feeling fine.

You folks are awesome! I love tofu, why didn't I think of that for some variety. After my initial shock on Sunday when I did some of my shopping (oatmeal and pinto beans), I did the rest of my shopping yesterday after work. I went back to the food co-op because I can buy in bulk and stretch my budget somewhat. My list of stuff is as follows:OatmealPinto beansCottage cheesePlain yogurtWhole wheat pita breadRiceBell pepperOnionGarlicLean Ground beefTomatoes (3 small ones)Banannas (4)Apples (4)

The veggies I'll use in the rice and the beef stir fry. The beef I'll also use in the beans. My meal plan is oatmeal and a bananna for breakfast; I'll alternate beans and stir fry for lunch and dinner. The apples for either a snack or dinner.

Total: $19.34 (I'm celebrating, I still have 66 cents left!). What I had to give up is my fruit smoothie I make every morning. Although I could still use the bananna, I couldn't afford the berries, the protein powder, the juice, and the bran I put in for fiber. I also will give up my cups of green tea.

Thursday I have an all day meeting in Sacramento, at which lunch will be provided, but I will have to pass on the lunch. I plan to take one of my apples and maybe a bananna, or one of my pita bread pieces. Ah, such a luxury.

Matt, 25% of your budget left! I guess that Top Raman is saving you money. You rock.

Ah, I forgot that to mention that some of my dinners will be yogurt or cottage cheese and pita bread. The other thing I didn't mention is the time it takes to shop when you have to account for every cent and think ahead about what you want to eat. Imagine a single parent, with kid in tow because you can't afford a baby sitter, trying to juggle the kid(s), thinking (what and how are we going to eat this?), and calculating (can I afford this, and how am I doing budget wise so far?). My admiration grows.

Thought about food much more yesterday than I normally might. I want food more when I know I can't have it, but that's just my inner teenager.

I wasn't ever hungry, though, and ended the day forgetting to eat one egg and one tablespoon of peanut butter that had been in my daily plan. Guess I can really splurge today, or, more likely, bank one of those items for later in the week in case of willpower emergency.

As anticipated, the toughest part of the day was when the plates of salmon started appearing on the table at my State of the City address, and then when I chose to pass up the post-speech dessert reception. But having just talked to the crowd about my community reaching an 18% unemployment rate, skipping dessert didn't seem like much of a burden.

I had a tough day yesterday (Monday). I went running like I usually do with my friend and we usually do 3-4 miles, I went 2. Although the distance I ran was undoubtedly effected by my mental state, I believe I suffered physically as well. I'm hungry, and am thinking about food once every ten minutes or so. I can't wait for my chicken tonight, even though I had chicken for lunch, yum... chicken.

I was in Napa yesterday, and it was difficult to watch my coworkers drink lattes while I drank my tap water. But I stayed strong, even at a presentation when raisins, cookies, and other 'free' items were offered. Why is it that we who don't need free food, always seem to have access to it? Coffee and treats at work; food at meetings, receptions and conferences; and being invited to lunch/dinner by co-workers or friends.

Jose: I also felt the need to splurge on the weekend to 'prepare' for the week ahead. It was like carb loading for a big race. ;)

Last night I cooked my lean beef stir fry with the rest of the onion, bell pepper, last tomatoe, and garlic. Yummy! I'll also have it for lunch today. Now I'm set for the rest of the week. I still haven't tapped into my yogurt and cottage cheese. I have a Food Bank board meeting tonight, so my dinner when I get home, after the board meeting, will be either yogurt or cottage cheese. My stir fry would have been complimented with a nice Sirah or Merlot. Sorry, had to pass that up.

Matt, my surplus is more manageable. I know what I'm doing with my 66 cents. I'm treating myself to a candy bar. What else can you buy with 66 cents, that is indulgent, laden with sugar, and of little nutritional value!

I have failed the challenge. I was scheduled to run a five mile run yesterday, and upon completion, I felt like I was going to pass out. I had no energy and although I treated myself to large amounts of chicken and a nice glass of milk, I felt horrible. As I felt weak and crappy, I was informed that my roommate had been diagnosed with pneumonia yesterday, and that was the final straw. I have done the $3 a day challenge in the past and have completed it but during that time I had cut my physical activity back to a minimal 30 minutes a day. With the extra $1 I believed I could maintain my workout schedule, but obviously this was not the case. In case you were wondering what I purchased, I focused on protein to maintain my workouts.

I was planning to do a piece of chicken with rice for dinner, 3-4 eggs for breakfast, lunch would either be oatmeal, chili, or chicken for one day with oatmeal being my "snack" when I needed one. I tried to gradually reduce my calories in that I was planning on eating more on Monday than on Friday to let my body adjust more smoothly. I also got food that I enjoyed eating with the idea of sustainability in my mind, (I normally buy all of these items), unlike last time where I survived off of Roman and the plain quaker oats oatmeal that I had to choke down. It looks like I bit off more than I could chew, where realistically I should have either sacrificed my workouts, or my taste buds, as I could not keep both.

If I could go back I would not have bought milk, although I love it, I would have proffered fruits or vegetables.Good luck to all of you and please don't let my stopping tempt you to do the same!

Nutritionist - Sorry to hear about your friend and your stamina. I am definitely not running 5 miles a day, so I cannot imagine what it would be like on this diet.

My dinner last night of black beans, brown rice, and sauted onions was hearty (for me), but I would have enjoyed more vegetables to go with it or some fresh chopped cilantro and tomatoes. And I too would have liked to join my husband in indulging in a glass of wine.

I may run out of soy milk for my cheap lattes from a stick and golden graham cereal. I need to cut down my soy milk serving size or I won't make it to Friday!!

Just had lunch - lean beef stir fry, rice, and half pita. I also brought an apple with me today to snack since I won't get to dinner (yogurt) until around 8 tonight. I'm looking forward to that candy bar that is calling my name.

Still going strong--even have two surplus eggs, one extra apple, and three tablespoons of peanut butter for the final two days, plus a couple of chicken breasts and a can and a half of tuna. So protein is not turning out to be an overwhelming challenge. Missed out on Ludy's BBQ during an Earth Day event today, chorizo and eggs at a breakfast meeting, and of course the salmon and desserts at the State of the City Address. But haven't been hungry or lethargic, and had a decent gym visit yesterday with a more intense training session tomorrow. And still have $1.10 in a case marked "break glass in case of emergency".

I had a banana this morning for breakfast, peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, and a huge plate of pasta with spinach for dinner. The dinner was very tasty.

Like Christopher I also feel fine. I still have $6 left and am still considering the value meal at Taco Bell or picking up some apples.

My kids ate two of my bananas so I will not have one available to me on Friday. The kids will be on Craigs List later if you are interested in picking up a two year old and a four year old at a bargain basement price.

Jim Smith wrote about the FSC in the Daily Democrat today. Jose and I did OK on Capitol Public Radio today. The host was really cool. He has a great voice.

Tuesday and Wednesday, had orange juice for breakfast, took Cheerios/yogurt/bananas or turkey on wheat bread for lunch.

Cooked two chicken breasts and cut them up for topping on Ramen noodles with tofu and frozen mixed vegetables for dinner both nights.

Miss coffee and dessert but grateful not to have experienced caffeine-withdrawal headaches. Would be nice to have additional variety in meals, but that is not to be this week.

Nutritionist, I bought 3.82 lbs of overripe bananas for $.39 a lb at Safeway. These are packaged in bags next to the "regular" bananas in the produce section.

Appreciate Vallerye's observation that we who do not need free food are always around it. For the "Capitol Crowd", there are multiple receptions day and evening throughout the work week, with more food than anyone could possibly eat. I generally do not attend these events, and if I do, don't eat or drink at them anyway so I don't have to report any gifts. So, I must have inadvertently been training to do the Food Stamp Challenge!

We're on the down hill for the challenge. Nutritionist, you didn't fail, you survived.

I changed my mind on dinner last night. I had some cottage cheese and a banana instead of yogurt. Generally, I put out some snack for our board meetings. Since we are all on the challenge, I did not tempt anyone with anything but water last night. So no snacks.

Things seemed to go ok with NPR as Matt says. I was, I have to admit, a bit nervous, especially when you have this huge microphone in your face. You should see those things, they are elephantile (at least to a novice like me). Matt looked like he was right at home.

I did receive an email from a listener that thought Matt and I were insenitive to the plight of those on food stamps. I have asked for permission to post those comments on the blog.

I appreciated the honesty of Nutritionist. On the other hand, it also brought to mind those people that can't just discontinue their economic condition at will. Even though Nutrionist's hardships and challenge were very real, the remedy was immediately available. Poor people don't have that option. Thank you Nutrionist for your courage to own up to the choice you made.

The third day of the challenge was the hardest so far. I craved a crispy lettuce and tomato salad, with olive oil and balsamic vinager, but I had to settle for beans and rice. The plate was tasteful, left me full, but it did not hit the spot. I'm pretty sure I will make it through day 5, but I feel so fortunate that I can have absolutely whatever I want come Saturday...and I also feel pretty guilty that the 10% of Yolo County's population living in poverty will still be on the limited diet I only struggled with for 5 days.

I think the fact that Nutritionist had to back out of the challenge highlights the fact that we are all 'surviving' so to speak on this diet, but what about the nutritional value of living off cottage cheese and top ramen?

Matt - You have 6 bucks left. I think you can splurge and replace those bananas. I had to spend my last few cents on a banana today at the Grocery Outlet since I've run out of my breakfast cereal.

Yesterday I was at an all day meeting in Sacramento for a statewide committee that I was just appointed to with about 25 people. It was our first meeting and first time most of us had met. Lunch was served with LaBou sandwiches, fresh fruit, salad, soda, and coffee.

I of course brown bagged it with my apple and banana. Great conversation starter as eyebrows raise: am I on a diet? a special doctors orders? oddball (not articulated, but in a group of 25, it had to cross someones mind)? and an opportunity to promote the food stamp challenge. There appeared to be some interest by a few in possibly participating in May (hunger awareness month).

For dinner I had more rice and beans. I have enough for one more meal: lunch today. I will add to that lunch a small portion left of beef stir fry, and my last piece of pita bread. I still have a banana, an apple, some cottage cheese, all my yogurt, and 66 cents.

Tomorrow I'll be back to normal, except for the experience, which will stay with me to continue to remind me how lucky I am that this experience was temporary for me, but a daily reality for millions of my fellow Americans. Armed with this insight should help me continue to discharge the Food Bank's mission with humility and renewed conviction.

I forgot to mention that I received two more emails from people who heard the Cap Public Radio interview Matt and I did with Host Jeffrey Callison. Both emails were positive and thanked me for discussing the issue. At yesterday's meeting one of the people wanted more information on how the food stamp challenge worked because she wanted to promote it at the nonprofit she is involved with in southern California.

I've been a bit too stingy with my food over the week, and I didn't realize that my bag of fuji apples contained not 10 but 14 apples (one of which was inedible). So today I'm eating 5 eggs, 4 apples, 1 heaping bowl of oatmeal, 1 chicken breast, 3 broccoli stalks, 5 oz of tuna, 4 tbsps of peanut butter, and 3 cups of milk for his final day of the food stamp challenge. That's about 2,400 calories, including lots of protein and fiber.

I'll still have a half-jar of peanut butter and about a 10-day supply of oatmeal. Plus $1.10 left for a big impulse splurge sometime today.

Lots of fancy receptions for social service agencies last night, with some great looking food. I wasn't drooling, but my abstinence was a good conversation-starter, as it has been all week, about hunger, obesity, and nutrition.

Hi everybody, for those of you who missed the NPR interview, I just uploaded it to the website. You can listen to it on the main page of the website or download the MP3 audio file - whichever you prefer.

My challenge continues until Saturday morning since I started Monday rather than Sunday as Matt did.

Today has been challenging, not because I don't have food left, but because plans changed and I ran short on time and missed my planned lunchtime stop at home between my district office in Vacaville and coming back to Sacramento. I have committments that will take me until late Friday evening so will not get a chance to eat until I get home close to midnight. So, until then, I will be running on the glass of orange juice and a banana that I had for breakfast!

I have more than a half loaf of bread (ran out of turkey breast yesterday), a cooked chicken breast, some tofu, two more packages of ramen noodles, 1/2 package of frozen vegetables, 1/2 carton of milk, one more glass of orange juice, and 1/4 box of Cheerios leftover when I get in. There is food leftover, but it is the same food from which to make a meal.

I feel fine and have actually lost a little weight this week since I have given up dessert (I do have a sweet tooth). I am looking forward to a strong, hot cup of coffee in the morning (in time for the California Democratic Party Women's Caucus @ 7:30 a.m.) and have come away from this second Food Stamp Challenge in five months with the same committment to the 26 million Americans for whom this is not a choice.

Thanks to all who participated this time, and perhaps we will have inspired others to join us next time. Better yet, let's work for the day when our economy provides opportunities for greater self-sufficiency.

One hour to go, and I am already salivating over the strawberries and grapes that I'm going to eat at midnight, the soy latte I'm going to have in the a.m., and the cold Sierra Nevada beer I plan to drink tomorrow night. I think I must eat more than most of the participants, because I have devoured all of the food that I bought (and the Golden Grahams were long gone by Wednesday).

I listened to the NPR interview, and I really liked Jose's idea of having actual food stamp recipients tell their stories. I've gotten some mild criticism this week from friends (and my husband) who worry that eating on this diet for 5 days could never truly give me the experience of living like this all year (specifically meeting nutritional needs). So it would be insightful to hear from the recipients themselves. Of course, I also agree with Jose, that the challenge at least lets us walk in others' shoes, if only for a few days.

After this challenge, I will never look at free food the same way again. I may not always eat it when it's available, but I will be grateful and hopefully it will serve as a reminder of these past 5 days.

First, thank you all for participating both in the challenge and on the blog. Sharing your experience on the blog was a critical part of the effort. I know you all have busy lives, and some of you, if indeed not all, with crushing schedules. I admire your commitment and celebrate your participation. I know that you did not have to do this, it was a choice. I am honored to have shared this moment with you all, which, I think we all understand, is but a speck of the reality that those living on food stamps experience. Thank you!

I had my final meal on the challenge last night: cottage cheese and a banana. I still have an apple, cottage cheese, yogurt, and one more serving of oatmeal left. I suspect, however, the more representative result is Vallerye's: more month than money (or, in our case, more week than food).

Today, my wife and I are heading off to the asparagus festival in Stockton. I'm looking forward to trying asparagus both in their natural state and altered states (deep fried yummy: Nutritionist, don't shudder).

A reminder: May is hunger awareness month. Please think of either participating again or recruiting someone you can sponsor to experience this unique undertaking. Sponsor a policy maker. Policy makers, recruit other policy makers. Anyone expecting to apply for food stamps, I would love to see you participate (I will personally sponsor you) and share your experience from application to use of your EBT.

I'm doing research on food stamp challenges, and how successful people go through with it. Do you guys think it's harder to live on actual food stamps or on just a food stamp budget (big difference), and why?